10 Things I Learned From People Who Survive Cancer

As a physician who interviewed
women who had survived breast cancer for my art project The Woman Inside and who studied patients who experienced spontaneous remissions
from cancer as part of the research for my book Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, I discovered that those who had
overcome cancer shared one remarkable thing in common. They had all faced death
and made a conscious decision to live every day like it might be their last.

The more interviews I
did, the more I noticed that these people were living differently than most of
the people I knew who had not been diagnosed with cancer. Curious what I
learned?

Here’s what these
courageous people taught me about how to live.

1. Be unapologetically YOU.

People who survive cancer tend to get
feisty. They walk around bald in shopping malls and roll their eyes if people
look at them funny. They say what they think. They laugh often.
They don’t make excuses. They wear purple muumuus when they want to.

2. Don’t take crap from
people.

People who survive cancer
stop trying to please everybody. They give up caring what everybody else
thinks. If you might die in a year anyway (and every single one of us could),
who gives a flip if your Great Aunt Gertrude is going to cut you out of her
will unless you sell out your authenticity to stay in her good graces?

3. Learn to say no.

People with cancer say no when they
don’t feel like going to the gala. They avoid gatherings when they’d
prefer to be alone. They don’t let themselves get pressured into doing things
they really don’t want to do.

4. Get angry.Then get over it.

People who survive cancer get in your
face. They question you. They feel their anger. They refuse to be
doormats. They demand respect. They feel it. Then they forgive. They let
go. They surrender. They don’t stay upset. They release resentment. But they
don’t stuff their feelings.

5. Don’t obsess about beauty.

People who survive cancer no longer
worry about whether they have perfect hair, whether their makeup looks
spotless, or whether their boobs are perky enough. They’re happy just to have boobs (if they still do). They’re happy to be
alive in their skin, even if it’s wrinkled.

6. Do it now.

Stop deferring happiness. People who survive
cancer realize that you can’t wait until you kick the bucket to do what you’re
dying to do. Quit that soul-sucking job now. Leave that deadbeat husband.
Prioritize joy. Live like you mean it—NOW.

7. Say “I love you”
often.

People who survive cancer
leave no words left unspoken. You never know when your time is up. Don’t risk
having someone you love not know it.

8. Take care of your body.

People who survive cancer have a whole
new appreciation for health. Those who haven’t been there may take it for
granted. So stop smoking. Eat healthy. Drink in moderation. Maintain a healthy
weight. Avoid toxic poisons. Get enough sleep. Above
all else, prioritize self care.

9. Prioritize freedom and live like you mean it.

People who survive cancer know that
being a workaholic isn’t the answer. Money can’t buy health. Security doesn’t
matter if you’re six feet under. Sixteen hours a day of being a stress monster
is only going to make you sick. As Tim Ferriss writes in The 4-Hour Workweek, “Gold is getting old. The New Rich are
those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present
using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility.”

10. Take risks.

People who survive cancer have faced their fears and
gotten to the other side. They know life
is for living because they almost lost it. True aliveness and real joy lie in
taking risks. So go sky diving if you want. Bungee jump. Hang glide. Spend your
savings. Live like you might die tomorrow.

Are you doing these things? Or are you waiting for a life threatening
diagnosis to test out how much you want to live? Tell
us what you think in the comments below.

Dr. Lissa Rankin

Lissa Rankin, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine, The Fear Cure, and The Anatomy of a Calling is a physician, speaker, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic. Passionate about what makes people optimally healthy and what predisposes them to illness, she is on a mission to merge science and spirituality in a way that not only facilitates the health of the individual, but also uplifts the health of the collective. Bridging between seemingly disparate worlds, Lissa is a connector, collaborator, curator, and amplifier, broadcasting not only her unique visionary ideas, but also those of cutting edge visionaries she discerns and trusts, especially in the field of her latest research into "Sacred Medicine." Lissa has starred in two National Public Television specials and also leads workshops, both online and at retreat centers like Esalen and Kripalu. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her daughter. She blogs at LissaRankin.com and posts regularly on Facebook.